A variety of surgical procedures require aspiration to remove fluid or debris from a surgical site. Typically, an aspiration handpiece is connected to a surgical machine via an aspiration tube. The surgical machine is configured to provide a vacuum pressure through the aspiration tube and the aspiration handpiece. A surgeon manipulates the handpiece to aspirate an aspiration target out from the surgical site through the handpiece and into the aspiration tube. An aspiration canister is usually disposed between the handpiece and the surgical machine for collection of fluid or debris aspirated out from the surgical site.
The surgical machine may have an adjustable aspiration flow rate, e.g., a surgical technician may adjust an aspiration flow rate by increasing or decreasing a vacuum pressure provided by the surgical machine. Increasing a vacuum pressure provided by the surgical machine may be configured to increase an aspiration flow rate and decreasing a vacuum pressure provided by the surgical machine may be configured to decrease an aspiration flow rate. A mechanism for adjusting an aspiration flow rate is typically coupled to the surgical machine, e.g., a touchscreen of the surgical machine may be configured to adjust an aspiration flow rate. This requires a surgeon to communicate a desired change in an aspiration flow rate to a surgical technician and then for the surgical technician to adjust the aspiration flow rate using a mechanism on a surgical machine.
Some surgical procedures, e.g., microsurgical procedures, require rapid changes in an aspiration flow rate in order to prevent unintended harm to a patient. For example, it may be desirable for a surgeon to immediately decrease an aspiration flow rate after aspirating an aspiration target out from a surgical site. Additionally, it may be desirable for a surgeon to immediately increase an aspiration flow rate in response to the presence of an unexpected aspiration target in a surgical site. Accordingly, there is a need for an aspiration handpiece that enables a surgeon to quickly adjust an aspiration flow rate during a surgical procedure.